The so-called "test" of possible heresy in the empire is in fact a ritual of torture.

The raison d'être of this ritual is to push the subject to the limit and even to the brink of death in a prolonged period of extreme physical and mental oppression. This behavior will undoubtedly greatly stimulate the subject's survival instincts, and they will instinctively use all their strength to struggle. If the subject is contaminated with heresy in any sense, they will always show their feet in the process.

- Of course, it is not uncommon for subjects who need to be tested for purity to die in the process. And the Imperials would have seen it this way: at least we have proved that this man was still pure at the time of death.

No one can say that this is a benevolent act, and even the Empire itself will admit that the process is quite cruel. In the world where Fujimaru Rika lived in the past, there is no doubt that this kind of behavior will be labeled as extreme, ignorant, ignorant, crazy, disregarding human rights, and even anti-human, and then attacked by people from all walks of life.

Rika Fujimaru thought the same thing, but she didn't say anything.

Such behaviour is indeed extreme, ignorant, ignorant, insane, disregardful of human rights, and anti-human. But in this galaxy that has been torn apart by the Great Rift, in this universe where there is a never-ending war, and in the current situation where the eyes and palms full of malice behind this curtain are ready to snatch the souls of human beings at all times, it is this behavior that supports the survival of the entire human race:

There may be only one real heretic in a thousand people who have gone through the torture of the test, but if this real heresy is missed, then the loss caused is likely to be hundreds of millions of lives on an entire planet. It is better to kill a thousand by mistake than to let go of one, and this kind of excessively extreme measure naturally gives birth to the rationality and correctness of its existence under the consequences of being excessively extreme.

Because of this correctness, Rika Fujimaru didn't say anything. There was nothing wrong with Sister Iolans' approach.

This is not only a city with a large population remaining, but also an important fulcrum of a war zone on the front line. Unable to discern whether the girl was performing a real miracle or a heretical trick, Iolanth had to think first and foremost about her responsibility for the safety of the city as a whole, rather than what would happen to a single young girl, who might be innocent or guilty.

Changing places, Rika Fujimaru can't make a more correct decision than this one. She didn't say anything because of that.

She followed the sisters of the Sisters through the noisy streets of the reconstruction work, making rapid progress towards the target facility. Ranmarok and his tactical team caused shouts of excitement and whispers among the surrounding workers, mixed with a little confusion, but not harmless.

To the civilians of Otrama, Space Marine is not a legend far away. Since the time of the Great Expedition, the Ultramarines and their various sub-regiments have been responsible for the rule and planning of this region for a long time, until today, 10,000 years later.

The majestic figures and splendid armor of the Angels of Death were often seen in various forms of radio communication for the common people of the region; The Ultramarines' long-term rule has also made the trust between the Space Marines and the people strong. This diluted the nerves that the people of the region might have when they saw the heavily armed humanoid war machines, and caused the cheers to rise and fall on the side of the road that made Ranmarok and his warriors uncomfortable.

It's not that they haven't enjoyed this treatment before, but this is not Caliban.

Even if it's not the warriors with the blue and white livery that the locals are more familiar with, the presence of the Emperor's Angel here is indisputable. Even if all the parties concerned do not squint, but only hurry through the flow of people, this fact will be interpreted by the civilians who witnessed it, disseminated, and rejoiced or depressed at the conclusions they have reached, whether correct or incorrect.

Morale is especially important in battle, so it's an issue that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, but Rika Fujimaru doesn't want to think about it for the time being. She mechanically followed the Sisters until the Battle Sisters' quarters stood out among the ruins and crudely reconstructed facilities, and the whole team stepped through the gates adorned with skulls and noble Aquila.

Sister Iolans, who had arrived first, had once again stood on the opposite side of the hall, holding "the girl" in her arms with both hands, who had been at the center of the conversation. Pamenio's sinking daylight shone through the broken windows of the building, and trivial orange-red frecks fell on the floor in the center of the hall through the refraction of glass shards, like a fire sinking into the ground.

"She's here, Your Excellency. That's the girl. The senior nun whispered as she stepped forward slowly, as if she was afraid that her voice would ruin the sacred atmosphere.

"Thank you, Sister Iolans. I know she's obviously not in good shape, but let her see if she can stand up on her own now. ”

There was a hint of hidden sadness in Rika Fujimaru's voice, but no one paid attention to it when everyone's attention was focused on the girl in the arms of the senior nun.

Ranma Lockeben had also scolded why a person of Fujimaru Rika's age could not feel uncomfortable calling another person "girl", but when he saw the real person, he immediately realized that the word was nothing more than a description of objective facts.

The girl was apparently also underage. She has brown hair and eyes, and fair skin, which seems to be common among the Pamenios. At this time, she seemed to be pale from the torture she had just suffered, and the bright red and hideous scars on her exposed body made her extremely weak. Judging by her face alone, she was obviously about the same age as Fujimaru Rika, but the latter often had a certain temperament that she did not have now, and the slight apprehension and confusion that she naturally revealed in her current situation also made her look even younger.

She had only a thin white dress on top and bottom, red patches of cloth stained with her own blood, and even no shoes. Ranmarok didn't think Rikka Fujimaru had given the right instructions at this point, but the girl was still trying to stretch her limbs again with the help of Iolans, so that her bare feet could once again support her weight. The process seemed very worrying to others, but after a few seconds, she still staggered to succeed. The girl staggered and tried to move forward, stumbling in her gait, until Rika Fujimaru, who had come forward, stretched out her hand to her, and she did the same—

The two hands clasped together in the orange-red sunset of Pamenio dusk, and in the light of the tiny specks of light, everyone seemed to hear the chant faintly coming from above. Under this sacred scene, everyone unconsciously held their breath, and the wounds on the girl's body caused by the so-called "test" healed and disappeared as quickly as if they were rewinding between two breaths, and there was not even a scar left.

In the midst of the exalted joy of witnessing the miracle, the girl spoke:

“…… Sister. She called Fujimaru Rikka so in exchange for a helpless smile from the latter.

"Was 'he' telling you to call me that?"

The girl didn't speak, and nodded blankly and ignorantly. She stared at the surrounding scene for a while, but it seemed that she was not looking at anything, but was simply immersed in her inner thoughts. Fujimaru Rika let all this go, and just continued to hold the girl's hand, which had become cold from blood loss, until she sorted out her thoughts and asked again:

"That test isn't over." She asked unexpectedly, "Is it because I'm doing something wrong?" ”

"No, it's just to test if you've been bewitched by heresy." Fujimaru Rika replied as calmly as she could, "After I prove her purity with my authority, it is no longer necessary, and it is only a senseless torture to continue." ”

It may sound unreasonable, but Rika Fujimaru understands why the girl is so questioning. There is almost no difference between a brick wall and a concrete wall in front of an ant, and the same is true for a small human, who is the vast majority of people who cannot clearly understand what they are facing when faced with an overly large being. She did cause a miracle under the guidance of the Emperor, but how could she know that it was the Emperor who led her?

It is certainly the right thing to do to protect yourself in the face of unnecessary torture, but it is more right for the girl herself to make sure that she does not hurt others in the future because of the differences she has suddenly revealed. When the nuns told her that there was a way to find out what was going on, she would of course be eager to agree, even if she already knew what awaited her—she was perhaps more desperate than Sister Iolans to prove her purity.

Rika Fujimaru knew all this, so she didn't say anything.

“…… But I didn't pass the test. The girl seemed to be a bit of a bull in this regard, and Rika Fujimaru just sighed a little helplessly.

"Don't worry too much about that." But not to prove to the girl once again that "she is pure," she said, "you have no choice from the moment you are chosen by the emperor." In the future, you will encounter things that are hundred, thousand, and ten thousand times more painful than this test, so it is better to save your strength from now on so that you can face those things in the future. ”

"What?" The girl looked at her blankly.

She's taller than Rika Fujimaru, has a bigger frame, and looks stronger, but for now, she's just ...... A girl.

"You've been chosen by the Emperor." Rika Fujimaru said, "You still don't understand what that means. ”

"I ...... I know, 'he' told me. The girl timidly replied, "'He' said it was painful and said I would die, but 'he' also said that it would make my death meaningful." ”

Rika Fujimaru sighed slowly, heavily.

She wanted to free her from a responsibility that shouldn't have belonged to her, and she wanted her to go home and be reunited with her parents: she had been hiding in a basement in the middle of the city with them before she was chosen.

It is of course a right thing to reunite the originally separated relatives, to let the life that would have died tragically live freely, and to continue the life that would have been stagnant in happiness, but—

"Ranmaroke." Rika Fujimaru said coldly, "I need you to take someone and Mother Iolans to work with Mother Iolans to inquire into and destroy and obscure the girl's background, to make up some incorrect statements to obscure the real thing, and to tell her parents that their daughter is going to die for a greater cause, so they will never see her again—tell them to move or use any means to clear their memories, but don't kill." I did this to obscure the origin of her existence in the occult, and the blood of blood relatives would make it easy to make this flawed. ”

In the girl's shocked gaze, Rika Fujimaru let go of her hand, leaving the other party alone under the warm spot of light.

She is also executing murder with a greater right, against a smaller right.

No one has made the wrong choice.

Mi (6 o'clock)

Don't change it, swing!

(End of chapter)